Norwell-based Athletes' Performance is where elite athletes go to work out

Friday

Oct 23, 2009 at 12:01 AMOct 23, 2009 at 11:15 PM

Athletes’ Performance has worked with many world-class athletes, ranging from Kevin Youkilis and Dustin Pedroia of the Boston Red Sox to Brady Quinn of the Cleveland Browns, the German national soccer team and the Argentine national rugby team.

Matthew J. Gill

When Mario Williams was selected with the first overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft, it came as a surprise to many, as the draft also featured Reggie Bush, the human highlight-reel halfback from USC, who’d also won the Heisman Trophy.

In the months and weeks leading up to the draft and the NFL Combine that preceded it, Williams, a defensive lineman from North Carolina State University, had worked with the staff at Athletes’ Performance, a company that focuses on the comprehensive training and nutrition for elite athletes.

When draft day came, the Houston Texans chose Williams over Bush, and after a few years in the league, Williams has arguably had the more successful career.

In addition to Williams, Athletes’ Performance has worked with many world-class athletes, ranging from Kevin Youkilis and Dustin Pedroia of the Boston Red Sox, to Brady Quinn of the Cleveland Browns, the German national soccer team and the Argentine national rugby team.

Eighteen months ago, the company moved its corporate headquarters to the town of Norwell.

Chris Hickey, the company’s chief marketing officer, also moved to town when the company did.

In an interview this past week, Hickey talked about the mission of Athletes’ Performance, the company’s clients and some expansion goals.

“These [athletes] come to us knowing they’re going to be on stage, in front of NFL scouts and coaches,” Hickey said. “We are results based.”

The athletes will spend a great deal of time at the company’s training sites, in Texas, Arizona, Florida and California. If it’s a college football player preparing for the NFL draft, Hickey said the athlete generally signs with an agent after the college bowl season is over, and then they come to Athletes’ Performance.

There, specific training and nutrition regimens are established for the athletes, and staffers will work with them five days a week to help them reach their goals.

When an athlete is successful, or in the case of Mario Williams gets chosen with the number one pick in the NFL draft, Hickey said his team is certainly pleased.

“We obviously celebrate their success,” he said. “They own their success, but we take great pride in that.”

As in life, Hickey said there are multiple approaches one can take to physical training. One is the path of least resistance; another is a focused, specific and dedicated regimen.

In addition to training elite amateur and professional athletes, Hickey said the company also works with a number of Fortune 500 companies to help them organize the exercise facilities they have in place for employees. The philosophy there, Hickey said, concerns the correlation between healthier employees and the increased productivity they’ll bring to the workplace.

Also, the company is establishing a new brand, Core Performance, which involves fitness centers and a training approach for the general public. Their first facility in Santa Monica, Calif., recently celebrated its one-year anniversary.

“You and I have different things in life that we need to perform in,’ Hickey said, whether that involves lifting and swinging one’s kids around, or just remaining flexible despite many hours spent seated at a desk job.

Some people just want to get in shape.

Others want help in preparing for a 5K.

Like many gyms, clients train with Core Performance by signing up for a membership. Unlike many gyms, when they show up for day one, the client is given a comprehensive fitness evaluation, including a body composition test and a test of one’s cardiovascular capacity.

According to Hickey, the company likes to go by the following motto: “You don’t have to train like an elite athlete, but you should be treated like one.”

The exercise machinery, examples of which are used by Hickey and other staff members at the Norwell office, is very high-tech.

When a client arrives for a workout, he or she keys a password into one main machine, and based on the client’s workout history, goals and test results, a virtual guide will lead him or her through a regimen featuring targeted stretching, resistance and cardiovascular training.

The machine offers 800 unique exercises.

During the cardiovascular segment, the client can use exercise bikes, elliptical machines or treadmills, and their heart rate and exertion levels are measured throughout.

Generally the workouts consist of 35 minutes of strength training, followed by 25 minutes of cardiovascular exercise. All of the statistics are tracked, ranging from cardiovascular performance and heart rate to the amount of force one can muster during various pulling and pushing exercises.

According to Hickey, the statistics are great for helping clients see where they were, where they are and where they’re going, fitness-wise.

“What really matters to people is ‘do I have more energy? Do I have less pain’?” he said.

Hickey shared a story about one client he’s worked with who came to Athletes’ Performance because he had heart complications. Today, Hickey said that client no longer requires heart medication.

At some point in the future, Hickey said the company would like to open a Core Performance facility in the Boston area.

On the job training

Chris Hickey said he and the staff at Athletes’ Performance really get into their work, and for this company, that means they put a lot of sweat-equity into staying fit themselves.

At the Norwell office, a few plates of apples were on hand for staff and visitors last week, and water bottles, Gatorade and protein shakes were also at the ready.

Hickey, who lives in Norwell with his wife Susan and their two daughters, Megan, 4-1/2, and Bridget, 2-1/2, said he brings his work home with him too.

“There’s no greater factor in nutrition, than eating right,” he said. “Broccoli’s a big part of our [family’s] lives now, less by choice than by necessity.”

‘I want to live a long, energetic life for my girls,” Hickey added. He said he and his wife participate in local 5K and 10K runs, and the girls are involved in gymnastics and ballet.

For more information about Athletes’ Performance, check out the Web site: www.athletesperformance.com.